Till Death Do Us Part
by JayJayBird28
Summary: When DunBroch is suddenly attacked by a dragon, King Fergus is thrown into action, facing an enemy he never thought he would have to face again. With his kingdom under siege and no backup, DunBroch is overthrown, Merida being the kingdom's only hope. With the help of a dragon expert and Viking chief, the duo work together to take back DunBroch and restore peace among the four clans
1. Prologue

Dunbroch in winter was a miserable time of year. Snow covered every inch of the kingdom, making it impossible for Merida to do anything. Merida and her mother sat coddled up in the sewing room, their fireplace providing warmth . Ever since her parents allowed her to hold off her marriage, she had been able to work out a suitable schedule with her mother. Sewing had become a favorite 'princessing' past time, as Merida called it. She would still rather be shooting arrows, or practicing fencing with her father, but she has begun to enjoy the time spent with her mother.

"Mum look," Merida smiles holding up her finished blanket. In the center of the blanket is a bow and arrow surrounded by a sword.

"Oh Merida," Her mother smiles, "It's wonderful. Not at all like mine, but wonderful none the less."

"Ya can't expect me to make mine look like yours," Merida crosses her legs with a frown on her face.

"I know darlin'," Her mother sighs, "Ya still got to let me get used to this. I know it's been about two years but I'm still entitled to my feelins."

"Mum," Merida stands to her feet, "If I don't marry one of the other clan's boys, who do you think there will be left for me?"

The Queen practically drops her blanket, standing to her feet. Merida turns and rolls her eyes. It had just been a thought that had ran through her mind. To be honest, Merida wasn't expecting that she would say it out loud. To admit that she was thinking about marriage was like admitting that she had been the one who hid fifteen wandering ducks in the kitchen.

"You're thinking about marriage?" Queen Elinor says, approaching Merida carefully.

"It was just a thought mum," Merida curls her hair around her finger, "I mean I was just thinkin'. Do you think I've lost it?"

"No!" Queen Elinor says a bit too enthusiastically, "It's just that… you've never been interested in marriage before. What's got you thinkin' about it now?"

"Well, it's been two years," Merida starts, "And Dad's getting pretty old. One day I'm going to be Queen of all of this." Merida gestures out the window and over all of DunBroch's borders, "All of this will be mine."

"And?" Queen Elinor beckons for Merida to continue.

"I haven't got a friend my own age besides the boys from the other clans," Merida shrugs, "And none of them truly understand me. I'm not sure I want to run this entire kingdom by m'self."

"You won't be alone," Queen Elinor puts an arm around Merida, "You'll have us."

"Mum," Merida brushes her away, "I have no friends! I'm going to be an old lady cooped up with fifteen ducks—"

"Fifteen ducks? What are you talking about?"

"Never mind," Merida says quickly, "It's just that, I'm not big on too much social interaction, and I just don't like the other boys in that way. I don't know what I'm going to do, mum."

"What are you saying?" Queen Elinor crosses her arms, "Do you just want a friend?"

Merida bites her lip and stares out the window, "What I'm saying is that I don't think I'm going to want to be alone forever. I mean romance wise."

"Are you saying you're finally ready to be married?" Elinor smiles.

"Not yet," Merida points, "But I would like to find someone."

Queen Elinor let's out a joyful laugh, pulling Merida into a huge hug. Merida snickers, knowing her mother would react like this. Even as the conversation winds down, Merida doesn't regret anything she had said. She really wasn't expecting to be alone forever! She just wanted the freedom to choose who she would marry at the right time. It should not have been a shock to anyone, but yet, here her mother was, choking her of happiness.

For a while, Queen Elinor and Merida continue to talk, Merida going into detail about when she suddenly had this realization. In the middle of their conversation they hear an ear piercing squeal. Merida instinctively jumps to her feet, rushing to her window. In the few years since the bear incident, she had been in charge of leading and training the DunBroch army. She is always ready for anything—Until she looked out the arched window.

"Is that?" Merida starts, unable to finish a whole sentence, "Is that a dragon?"

As if to answer her question the large bird-like creature opens its mouth, letting loose another blood curdling shriek, spitting fire from its open mouth. One of the houses below catch flame, the village leaders quick to ring the town bells.

"Good heavens! That is a dragon! Hurry Merida, they need you," Queen Elinor says. Without another word Merida dashes towards the door, grabbing her bow and arrows before she exits. Merida hurries through the halls, running into Hamish, Hubert, and Harris—her three younger brothers.

"Boys! Go find mum and stay with her until Dad and I come back!" Merida calls as she rushes forward. She pulls up the hem of her dress as she runs, finally coming to the stables. King Fergus is already there, barking orders to soldiers.

"Dad!" Merida shouts, rushing towards him.

"Oh good, Merida!" King Fergus says in a panic, "I've already set out a squad to the eastern villages. We are going to try to lure the beast into the forest areas."

"The forests are too dangerous Dad! The soldiers could get lost!"

"And people could die if we let that… thing continue to burn down our villages! We do this my way! Take care of the Western soldiers." King Fergus commands.

Merida huffs but pulls on Angus's reigns. She races to the other side of the castle where the soldiers are working on weapon distribution. Merida hops off of Angus, quickly relaying the King's orders. She pulls out a map, pointing out the soldiers' positions. King Fergus's plan is to try to trap the beast in a circle shot formation, pushing it farther back until it is over the forest. When she is finished, she quickly leads them into position.

The cold brisk air, makes it harder to focus. The shawl she had covering her was nothing compared to the thick, bulky jackets the soldiers were wearing. Unfortunately, the think jackets slowed down the army's reaction rates. King Fergus rushes past them, with his sword up, warning them to watch for his signal.

They hear the shriek of the beast, and it takes to the sky again. Merida gazes in wonder at the large, rainbow colored dragon before them. It has spikes lining its back and its tail has thorns sticking out of it. King Fergus's battle cry could be heard from a mile away. The Eastern squad is the first to fire their arrows, the Northern, Southern, and Western holding their ground.

The beast shrieks again, moving towards the forest. It lets out another blow of fire, sending one of their watch towers up in flames. Merida watches in horror as it crumbles. Unfortunately, the beast lands instead of flying towards the forest. Merida rushes towards the scene, as a family screams, trying to escape from the now collapsing building. Merida grabs a little girl's hand and rushes the family to a nearby soldier.

"Take them back to the castle," Merida instructs one of the soldiers. The dragon suddenly turns towards Merida, making a hissing sound. It hops to the ground below, creeping towards her.

"Don't shoot!" Merida shouts as loud as she can. The soldiers are beginning to back up, most of them trying not to shout in fear. Merida's heart is pounding at the speed of light as the yellow eyed, sharp-toothed beast nears her. It's breathe is foul like dung, and it's size was terrifying. The closer it gets, the more freaked Merida gets.

"Merida!" King Fergus shouts.

"I said don't shoot!" Merida shouts back.

"But Merida!"

"I _said_ DON'T SHOOT!" Merida shouts again. The dragon steps backwards, hissing at her shouting. Merida notices how it's front legs are only about the size of a pea. Its hind legs are large and strong. Merida holds out her hand, flinching as it huffs.

"Merida," King Fergus hisses.

"It's alright," Merida coaches as the dragon calmly inches closer and closer to her. It is less than a half inch away from Merida's palm when it let's out a horrific shriek. Instead, the dragon head-butts her, sending her crashing into a few shipping crates. The dragon spins on its heels to face King Fergus who had stabbed its hind parts.

"Dad!" Merida screams, She rushes towards him as the dragon sets fire to the surrounding buildings. The soldiers are all now after the creature. Luckily, they are still pushing it towards the forest. They take turns, trying to stab at the dragons feet.

"Wait!" Merida calls, trying to maintain her balance as the stampeding army push the beast backwards. In an instant, the creature is up in the air, it's wings expanding and contracting in the air.

"Oh gosh," Merida says watching as it takes off over the forest, diving in somewhere along the way. Merida runs a hand through her hair, wondering where a dragon could've come from.

"Well don't just stand there!" Merida shouts at the soldiers, "Use the snow to put the fires out!"

The soldiers rush into action, tossing snow onto the fires and salvaging as many items as they can. The villagers reluctantly exit from their hiding places. The streets are filled with terrified people. Merida rushes to her father's side hoisting him onto his feet.

"Don't you ever do that again!" King Fergus shouts, "That was much too dangerous!"

"Dad, I had it under control!" Merida grunts, "It wasn't going to hurt me."

"Merida, look around," King Fergus gestures to the smoking houses around, "It's freezing outside, the past few shipments of resources haven't come in, and now people are out of places to live! The last thing any of us need is a dead, beloved princess."

"Father, it was going to be alright," Merida rolls her eyes, "I could feel it! It was like we were connected."

"Yes, both of you are completely reckless," King Fergus laughs, "I love you Merida, and you know I am the first one to say Elinor is acting like a bafoon. But you have to think next time."

"I will," Merida bows her head. This was her first real situation where she had to lead the army and she blew it. Not completely, but she mostly blew it. Once the fires are out, Merida and King Fergus round up the families who had lost their houses. The soldiers march with them back to the castle. Once they reach the castle gates, Queen Elinor is waiting with the triplets in tow. She rushes to give Merida a hug once they are in sight.

"Oh, thank the heavens!" Queen Elinor says kissing Merida on the cheek and King Fergus as well, "What happened?"

"It was a dragon!" King Fergus says turning to the soldiers, "Take the families to the west wing of the castle. Make sure they are properly cared for."

"How many injured?" Queen Elinor inquires.

"A couple injured," Merida says, "No deaths so far. At least none that was the dragon's fault."

"I thought dragons were just legend," Queen Elinor shakes her head, "How could this have happened?"

"The scrolls," King Fergus shakes his head, "There has to be something I missed."

"Dad, you've gone through those scrolls a hundred times. There's nothing in them that we don't already know." Merida protests, "Let's just concentrate on learning what we can—"

"No," King Fergus shakes his head, "We need to check again. Elinor, would you mind?"

"Of course not dear," Elinor says, "Come on, we'll all go look."

The family walks together, the three boys wreaking havoc as they wander the halls. The fire lit cooridors are still not enough to circulate heat throughout the castle. Merida finds herself shivering, attempting to wrap her shawl tighter around her. King Fergus clings to Queen Elinor, keeping her warm. Merida feels her heart skip a beat and a wave of sadness sweep over her. Just as quickly as the feeling had come, it passes.

Soon they come to a door without a knob. King Fergus pounds on the door, an older gentlemen pokes his head through the window. He shouts a greeting and then disappears. Merida hears the clicking of locks and suddenly the door opens. Her triplet brothers storm into the room, laughing and giggling as they hop into a pile of scrolls. Merida's jaw drops as she gazes around the room. It was not very large, but the scroll room is five stories high. There is a single, spiraling staircase that leads to the very top.

"How are we supposed to find anything in this mess?" Merida looks around, "There's got to be over a thousand scrolls here!"

"We best start looking," King Fergus says, moving Hamish and his brothers from the pile on the floor. Queen Elinor and Merida exchange glances. Merida heads towards the top of the scroll room. She starts taking out scroll after scroll, and book after book. Merida has only read the scrolls her mother brings out during lessons. She had no idea there were this many scrolls!

After a few hours of looking, Merida is getting restless. She has barely looked at half of the scrolls on the top level. She pulls out another scroll, groaning as she opens it. The scroll was the legend of Ardus, a ruthless Viking king from years ago. It was the battle that pulled the four clans together after Mor'du. Her mother always used this story in her lessons. Merida continues to read, studying the pictures that are being drawn. At the end of the scroll, she notices a picture of a fleeing Ardus, with a weird creature behind it. Merida brings the paper closer, zoning in on the picture. The creature had a spiky, round tail and was short and stubby. It's wings are tucked at its side and it is chained to the boat.

"Dad?" Merida calls down.

"What is it?" King Fergus called up.

"Did the Vikings that attacked years ago have dragons?" Merida asks bounding down the stairs.

"The Vikings? You mean the sea invaders?" King Fergus shrugs, "They didn't have any dragons."

"Then can you explain this picture?" Merida hands King Fergus the scroll. Queen Elinor leans over his shoulder, gasping as she reads.

"Where did you find this?" Queen Elinor says, "I've never seen this scroll before in my life! And I would know, I've told this story hundreds of times."

"I found it towards the back of the third row of scrolls on the top floor. Is it a dragon?" Merida asks.

"Dragons supposedly take many forms," The old man finally says, he shuffles forwards pointing to the paper, "That is just one of them."

"You mean you knew where to find out about dragons? Why didn't you tell us?" Merida asks.

"You never asked," the old man shrugs, scuffling back to his seat.

"What can you tell us?" King Fergus asks.

"I've read these scrolls over and over again. All of them full of their own stories," The old man gestures to the scrolls, "Dragons are found throughout many of them. Their origin is unknown and they aren't found around these parts. Any time a dragon is spotted, it is spotted out at sea, on a different island, or from invaders."

"Are you saying there is a threat?" Merida says, "Are the Vikings coming back?"

"No one can be for sure," The old man yawns, "But I would be prepared for anythin'."

Merida, Queen Elinor, and King Fergus exchange worried looks. None of them would have been worried about invaders if it wasn't for the dragons. That was bordering on unfamiliar territory. How were they going to fight a creature they do not know how to fight? True, they had taken on Mor'du, but the last thing they wanted was a dozen more creatures just like him.

The family leaves the scroll room with something else to worry about. They had one dragon on the loose, and a possible incoming invasion. They were well prepared, but it would take weeks to get the word out to the other clans. By then it might be too late to call in reinforcements.

"What are we going to do?" Queen Elinor says, "If they attack and we haven't heard from the other clans, we'll be ruined! We can't take on a whole army of dragons."

"That's not going to happen!" King Fergus says, "Merida and I will make sure the army is creating enough weapons and we will recruit some more people from town, and we will be ready!"

"But Dad," Merida starts but King Fergus holds up a hand.

"Nothing threatens my kingdom. We will be ready." King Fergus walks away. Hamish, Hubert and Harris shrug, wandering away to their own schemes. Merida and Queen Elinor are left alone in the hallway.

"I can't believe this is happening," Merida says, "Mum, what are we going to do if we get attacked?"

Queen Elinor takes a deep breathe before speaking, "We will be ready for anythin'. Promise me you will be brave through all of this? Promise me, Merida!"

"I promise," Merida says without hesitation. Queen Elinor sighs, and pulls Merida into a hug, "I promise."

"Make preparations!" A deep strong voice calls. His voice echoes through the large, spacious cave. His men begin to move out, tossing weapons to each other. One of the men moves a large rock and out from the darkness comes a herd of dragons, each with their own look, and their own saddle. The man stands on the highest peak, watching as his riders mount their dragons. He has a scar on the side of his cheek and his dark hair is tucked under a Viking helmet. He is a muscular man with scars covering nearly every inch of his body.

"Ardus!" A girl's voice calls. Ardus turns to find a tall, blonde girl with cute bangs and a fur coat approaching, "Are you kidding? We can't move out! We just sent the leader to DunBroch!"

"Astrid, Astrid, Astrid," Ardus laughs running a finger over Astrid's cheek, "Our men are ready. Your dragons have done well. That little pipsqueak friend of yours trained them to meet my expectations."

"Hiccup is not a pipsqueak anymore," Astrid glares, "And you know he's not my friend."

"Yes, I forget," Ardus snickers, "You broke his heart when you destroyed his village and took all of his perfectly trained dragons."

"Let's not talk about it," Astrid rolls her eyes, "I wasted years with Hiccup. He is weak, and soft-hearted. Him bringing his mother back was a mistake."

"And now you have your revenge," Ardus brings Astrid closer to the ledge, letting her peer down at the large amounts of metal being melted down into weapons. Boats are being loaded up with materials, soldiers are in training, and the dragons are being brought to their flight positions. Astrid sighs of relief, still believing that her betrayal to Hiccup was the right thing to do. Soon she would have everything she wants and Hiccup would not be able to say anything about it.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to take down DunBroch?" Astrid asks, "I mean, what will we get out of it?"

"A new life," Ardus says, "Berk was miserable during winter. DunBroch has ten times more resources than we will ever have here. Luckily, we destroyed their last shipments and Artemis, the leader of the dragons, hopefully devastated their villages enough to work in our advantage. We should be able to get in and take over without a hitch."

"And the other clans?" Astrid puts her hands on her hips.

"They'll fall just as quickly as DunBroch," Ardus nods, "Once King Fergus falls, and every other clan will follow."

Astrid smiles as the sun begins to set, "You're right uncle. At dawn, we ride."


	2. Fallen Kingdom

_"Merrrrrida," A voice calls. Merida stands to her feet. She quickly examines the area, uncertain of where she is and how she got there. It is dark and cloudy and she is standing on rocks. There is a vast sea with a single wisp standing in the middle._

 _"Merrrrida," The wisp calls again. Merida turns to look backwards, still expecting to see dunbroch, only to see a forest behind her. Merida looks down at her bare feet. She is in her night gown and somehow, her hair has been put into a pony tail. Neither her or her mother have ever been able to tame her hair enough to fit a ponytail._

 _"Merrrrida," The wisp says, gesturing for her to come towards it._

 _"I can't walk on water! What are ye expecting me to do? Drown?" Merida shouts, knowing that the wisp isn't going to respond._

 _"Merrrida," The wisp responds. A trail of wisps appears behind the front one. Merida takes a deep breath and makes a step towards the water. She stops just at the edge, her toes barely grazing the water. The water stops at her feet. Merida lifts her foot and steps, expecting her foot to sink into the cold sea, but instead she hovers over the water. Merida gasps and lifts her other foot. Now she is standing on the water, still too afraid to keep walking._

 _"Merrrida!" The wisps say together. The moon shines its light down on her and Merida's eyes turn white at the sight. Suddenly, all her fears are whisked away. Merida feels as if she has entered a place of rest and peace. She follows the wisps calls, taking one step at a time. She allows the moon to take over, guiding her across the water. She reaches the first wisp and just as before, they disappear as she continues down the trail. Merida hears another voice in her head as she continues the journey across the sea._

 _"Astrid!" A man's voice calls, "Astrid, please don't do this!"_

 _"This is all your fault!" A woman's voice responds, "You and your arrogant mother did this, and now you are going to watch everything your family built rot and burn!"_

 _"Astrid, I love you!" The man's voice says desperately._

 _"And your love is your biggest weakness," The woman's voice responds, "It is because of your love that you watched everything we cared about be destroyed."_

 _"That wasn't what happened—"_

 _"And now, I get to watch you rot in hell with the rest of your family," ._

" _Astrid_ , _no_!"

" _Goodbye_ , _Hiccup_ ,"

 _The moons ray lifts Merida from her position and around her neck a bear pendant appears. Merida's eyes clear and before her is a transparent figure. Merida furrows her eyebrows reaching out to touch it. The figure turns into a golden dragon with scales that shine bright. The dragon's majestic narrow face gazes down at Merida._

 _Before Merida can touch the nose of the dragon a wisp appears before her._

 _"Merrrida," The wisp calls._

 _"Merrrida!" The wisp says louder._

" _Merrrida_!"

* * *

"Merida!" Queen Elinor shakes Merida awake. Merida jumps to a seated position.

"What! What? Mum? What's going on?" Merida asks, her heart pounding.

"The kingdom is under attack! Yer father is already outside preparing for battle!" Queen Elinor says pointing towards the window. Merida jumps out of bed, stumbling over her bow which had been positioned on the floor by her bed. She reaches the window seeing a fleet of fifteen ships, unlike any others she has ever seen. Dunbroch's bell towers are ringing and the warning torches have been lit. Merida wastes no time jumping into action.

She struggles to get dressed, but the second she is, she grabs her bow and takes Queen Elinor's hand. Together they rush through the halls towards the weaponary. Merida pulls open the door, ducking as a line of swords are tossed onto a wagon. Inside near the blacksmith, swords are being sharpened and arrows are being stacked into bags.

"Hardvus! Where is my father?" Merida calls to a tall, muscular man.

"King Fergus? He's already at the frontline. They're waiting for ya. Better hurry, because they're 'bout ta move out without ya!"

Hardvus tosses Merida a freshly sharpened sword and a bag full of arrows.

"Mum, you know Dad is not going to let you come with us," Merida says.

"I know," Queen Elinor nods, "Please be careful. I'm going to find your brothers and look after them. Tell yer father to be careful and that I love him. I love you too!"

"I love you mum," Merida gives Queen Elinor a quick hug, "We'll make it through this. I promise."

Merida turns and follows the crowd of soldiers down a hall and out into the cold of the early morning. The sun is barely peaking over the hills of Dunbroch, and the intense cloud cover warns of an incoming snow storm.

Merida rushes to the stables, grabs onto Angus, and together they storm through castle to the front gates. King Fergus sees Merida pull up beside his horse. Merida is surprised to see the panic on King Fergus's face.

"What are we going to do?" Merida asks, "They haven't even hit shore yet!"

"Some of the soldiers have already started evacuating the villagers. Our top priority is getting them to safety. "

"Sire!" A soldier quickly runs up to them, "The villagers! We have no where to take them! Battles have never been fought on our soil and the forests are too dangerous to lead them there!"

"You have to take them away from here!" Merida hops off Angus, "If you take them south they will at least have a chance!"

"Yes Princess," The soldier bows, running back to spread the word.

"This is a disaster!" Merida shouts, "We should have been preparing for all types of situations!"

"We weren't prepared for a dragon!" King Fergus shouts back.

"It was one dragon! And we scared it off!" Merida crosses her arms. As if on cue, they hear an unfamiliar, ear piercing shriek. The crowd of soldiers silence, all of them turning to King Fergus and Merida. Fergus holds up a hand signaling for them to wait.

"Why did I have to say anything?" Merida whispers. Another screech leads to a fireball being sent straight into the heart of their town. Merida gasps, seeing their beloved town statue ignite in flames.

"Ready the catapults! To battle stations! Send the east squad to the decks! Do not let them loose in this town! Shoot down the dragons!" King Fergus barks orders.

Without another word, Merida swings herself onto Angus's back and heads for the catapults. There are at least four stationed in different areas of the town. Merida tries to ignore the chill of the wind as they ride to the highest regions of the town. Since all of the townspeople are scattering in fear, the fastest and safest way to reach the catapults is to take the scenic route.

Another blast of fire hurtles into Dunbroch's trading center. Merida grits her teeth as they reach the catapults. She divides the team up, ensuring that there is an equal number of soldiers at all of the four catapults, but she stays with the east catapult. The east catapult has the highest lookout and looks over their ports. Merida's jaw drops as she watches the fleet near their harbor. What takes her breathe away is the seven dragons flying over the fleet. Each of them look different, some with small wings that flap faster, and others with large wings and dagger eyes. All of them are a different color and size, meaning there is more than one species of dragons.

"Wait a second," Merida says squinting as another blast hits the village, "Someone is riding on them! Dragon riders! We're under attack by dragon riders! Shoot them down! Shoot them all down!"

Merida's heart is about to beat out of her chest as they launch the first boulder towards the dragon. They miss, sending the boulder flying into the trees.

"Again!" Merida says, "Aim more to your left this time!"

They follow Merida's orders, but the dragon ducks, dodging the blow. The other catapults follow suit, taking turns shooting at the dragon. Before long , the other seven dragons charge ahead, flying towards the castle.

"No!" Merida says watching as one dragon lands on top of the castle letting out what sounds like a hawk call. The soldiers around Merida shriek as their catapult is lifted into the air and broken in half like a twig. Before them is a smaller dragon, but it's teeth are the sharper and more plentiful than any other creature she has ever seen.

"You like my Natter?" The dragon rider laughs, "Let me ask this. What is a woman doing out here on the battle field, huh?"

"You land lubber! I don't have to take this! Why are you here?" Merida shouts at him.

"You've got a mouth on you, princess," The dragon rider narrows his eyes, "Now where is that King Fergus. I'd love to meet his family."

"I am Merida," Merida stands firm drawing an arrow from her bag and setting it in her bow, "First born of the Dunbroch clan! I do not answer to you, or any of yer other goofball Viking friends."

"Oh, so you really are a princess? Well! I didn't see that one coming. Unfortunately, I'm the one with the dragon." The dragon rider glares.

"And I'm the girl with the bow," Merida says, releasing the bow which is aimed at the rider's chest but the dragon steps in front of the arrow. The arrow bounces of its chest and hits the ground. The dragon swings its tail, knocking Merida over onto the ground. The soldiers around her charge at the dragon but one by one, they all fall by the breathe, strength, and power of the dragon. When all of her soldiers had fallen, the Dragon and his rider turn back to Merida.

"Looks like you're all out of arrows," The Dragon Rider says, "You will bring me to King Fergus now, or watch your village crumble."

"Merida!" King Fergus shouts rushing towards her.

"Dad, no!" Merida says grabbing a hold of King Fergus.

"I need you to run," King Fergus's says with pleading eyes.

"Dad," Merida whispers.

"Run now," King Fergus says again, "We will see each other again."

"Fergus! Now is not the time for games!" The Dragon Rider lands swiftly onto the ground, "It is time to watch your clan fall to the voyagers once and for all."

"You will never take control of this land, Ardus!" King Fergus says, "Never!"

"Oh really?" Ardus says gesturing towards the overlook, "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Merida and King Fergus look over their beloved kingdom. Half of the village has been burned and they watch in horror as villagers are taken captive by Ardus's men. Dragons surround the castle, striking fear into their people.

"Its time to accept defeat," Ardus says walking closer to King Fergus, "Give up your crown."

"I won't give up this crown until I draw my last breathe!" King Fergus hisses.

"Very well then,"Ardus says pulling a large double ax from his dragons holder. He swings down at King Fergus, but Fergus pulls out a sword and deflects the blow.

"Dad!"

"Merida run!" King Fergus says, deflecting another swing from Ardus.

"But Da—"

"I said run!" King Fergus yells as he takes a swing at Ardus. Merida hops onto Angus, and takes off just as she hears Ardus yell to stop her. Merida looks up to see a two headed dragon hovering over her. Merida hops down into town, missing the flames from a burning building just barely. Angus stumbles a bit at the big jump but still they ride on. Merida screams as a ball of fire shoots in her direction. She ducks and Angus dashes towards the left. She can see the edge of the town coming up fast. She kicks Angus, urging him to speed up.

Before she has a chance to escape the town, the large two headed dragon lands in front of her. The rider smiles and mutters a command. One of the heads spits a gas that makes it impossible to see. Angus jumps in surprise, throwing Merida off his back. Merida hits the ground with a loud thud. She stands to her feet and looks around, holding the back of her head. Her heart is pounding and all she can see is a green gas. Merida coughs trying to see through the thick smoke. She hears a sniff come from behind her and Merida takes off at a run. She hears a spark and the smoke around her begins to catch fire. She runs faster as the fire quckly spreads.

She jumps out of the smoke just in time but someone knows her to the ground. She turns to see a large man with a hammer in hand and a viking helmet slightly crooked. His twisted smile is frightening. He swings down his hammer and Merida rolls out of the way. She grabs an iron crow bar, the only weapon near her. She swings back at the man, but he easily deflects her swing. Merida is backed up against a watering well and a ding goes off in Merida's brain.

"What are ye waiting for, ya fat pig?" Merida taunts, "Ye swing like a girl!"

The vikings face darkens and he charges at her full speed. Merida waits for the perfect timing and steps to the side. The viking runs straight into the well and tips over inside. Merida takes off at a full run towards the forest, trying to escape before the dragon realized she hadn't gotten trapped in it's poisonous gas. Merida is huffing and puffing as she runs.

 _Just_ _a_ _little_ _further_! Merida thinks as she nears the woods. The second she steps on grass she hears a horde of men running towards the forest. Merida groans under her breathe, realizing that they must have sent soldiers after her. Merida runs deeper into the forest, but her breathe is falling short. She is exhausted and without Angus, she isn't nearly as fast. She looks over her shoulder, listening to the rustling of trees near her. Merida grabs a hold of the nearest tree and starts to climb. The higher she climbs the closer the sounds of footsteps become. Merida finally reaches the top branch and she swings to let the branch cradle her. Merida attempts to hold her breathe and tucks her dress underneathe her body as she spots the squad of men pass beneath her. Among the men is a female, a woman with blonde hair and a strong figure. She has a headband and a large fur coat.

"How could you lose her!" The woman shouts. Merida furrows her eyebrows, recognizing that voice from somewhere.

"She was just here, I swear we saw her run this way!" One of the soldiers defends.

"It's a forest you idiot! She could be anywhere! Find her!" The woman demands. The soldiers scatter, all stumbling through the trees. The woman shakes her head and grabs the ax she was carrying. She swings it at Merida's tree. Merida holds onto the branch for dear life, hoping that the woman takes her anger out on a different tree. To her relief, the woman takes a deep breathe and starts in the direction towards Dunbroch. Merida finally exhales, however, she knows that until the soldiers give up, she is going to need to formulate a plan.

Merida recalls the stream she had taken her mother too when she had been turned into t a bear. With the witch's old cottage there, she should be able to set up a camp there for a while. But it is obvious that until she can get a hold of the other clans, she is going to have to hide out for a while and gather supplies. For now, Merida stays where she is. The sun is at its peak and Merida realizes the day isn't even close to being done. There is no way she is going to be able to come down from this tree. Luckily there are apples in the tree near her so she can stake out for a while.

Merida leans back in the tree listening to the sounds of the wild. The birds chirp in distress and she can feel the wind shift. She shudders realizing through the adrenaline of the battle that she hadn't properly dressed to be out in the cold for a long period of time. The only peace of warm clothing she possesses is a light shawl.

For the next few hours, Merida waits in agony, replaying the morning's events over and over again. She's probably cried more in the last few hours than she has in her whole life. Everything she loves has just been taken from her because of a few dragons and some men with a bad attitude. Merida can't help but resent the dragons. They should have known something was up when the first dragon showed up. They should have been ready. Granted, one day is not enough time to properly prepare, but Merida only sees that their clan—who had recently combated a man slaughtering bear—is not invincible. Their entire kingdom had been completely invaded in a matter of hours. She can't even imagine what her family must be going through. The triplets had just started to speak real words, and her poor mother is probably broken in shambles.

As the sun reaches its peak, Merida can't help but worry about Angus and her family. Who knows what could have happened to Angus after he kicked her off? For all she knows Angus could have been eaten by that monster! Merida reaches to grab an apple, trying to wake up her bum as she does. She leans back again, slouching farther, trying to restore feeling back into her legs. She brings the apple towards her mouth to take a bite but she hears another blood curdling shriek followed by the screams of a crowd. Merida hovers over the apple, but instead lets another tear slip. Before she knows it, she is in another pool of tears.

 _I just want this day to be over!_ Merida thinks in her head, _This is all just a bad dream… yes… just a bad dream._

* * *

"You will bow to me!" Ardus shouts from the throne room of Dunbroch's castle. Elinor and the three boys have all been assembled and are guarded by Ardus's men. Astrid stands beside Ardus with her arms folded. The rest of their troop are scoping the castle be gathering the servants to submit their loyalty to Ardus.

"I will not," Elimor stands her ground with her head held high. The triplets nod their head in agreement.

"Your kingdom is under my control," Ardus laughs, "There is nowhere left to run. Nowhere to hide. You'd rather risk your life than to join me?"

"As long as my husband and my daughter still stand, I will not grovel in the sights of no man." Elinor fires back.

"Maybe this will change your mind," Ardus smiles, gesturing towards the back door. Two guards burst through with Fergus dragging his feet. He is badly wounded, his left eye swollen to the size of a small golf ball and his clothes are tattered and torn. Elinor gasps, rushing to his side. The guards drop him on the floor, Fergus barely able to prop himself up.

"Fergus! What have they done?" Elinor grasps the side of his face.

"They…. I couldn't.." Fergus tries.

Ardus pulls back his head in laughter as he stomps towards the duo, "Is this the man you want to stake your kingdom on? Fergus! The man who fought a bear with the strength of ten men! You really believed that one battle with the Vikings was enough to send us away for good? We're voyagers! We go as we please, take what we wish. And with the help of dragons, we can take on the world."

"Where is my daughter you filthy scum!" Elinor stands to her feet.

"Oh we'll find her soon enough," Astrid finally says, "And if we don't, she'll find you."

"What are you talking about?" Elinor asks.

"You really think she would just run off and leave her beloved family behind? I knew a guy like that once and it destroyed him from the inside out. We will do the same to her." Astrid smiles.

"And when she does come back, your kingdom can watch you all perish in the perfect execution in the middle of the village." Ardus adds, walking back towards the throne, "Take them to the dungeons with the rest of the unturned servants."

"This isn't the end Ardus! You will never find my daughter and she will avenge Dunbroch!" Elinor shouts as she, the boys, and Fergus are dragged away. Ardus takes a seat and breathes in, exhaling dramatically.

"So how does it feel, knowing you've won?" Astrid says leaning on Fergus's old throne.

"It feels," Ardus says pausing for dramatic effect, "Powerful!"

"What do you want to do next?" Astrid asks nodding back towards the soldiers, "Which of the other three clans do you want to hit?"

"Keep a team here, searching the forests for Merida. Send the dragon riders and a small troop to the Macintosh clan. Make preparations now, so we aren't scrambling around in the morning like chickens with their heads cut off."

"I'm on it uncle," Astrid says making her leave. As she shuts the door to the throne room behind her, Ardus can finally take in the extent of his success. He can hear the shrieks of his dragons, scoping the area outside. Ardus can't help but grimace at a tapestry of the Dunbroch royal family. He stands to his feet and glares, walking over to it. His eyes are fixed on Merida in particular.

"I'm going to find you pretty princess," Ardus says out loud, "And when I do, I'm going to watch Dunbroch and all the other clans fall once and for all."


	3. Into the Woods

_Hiccup looks around at the village burning around him. There is no sign of Toothless and his mother lies lifeless beside him. His whole village is practically in ruins and his dragons scatter, most of them having been shot down by bandits._

 _"Don't look so sad Hiccup," Astrid shakes her head, two swords in hand, "You had to have known this day was coming._

 _"There was a better way—" Hiccup tries._

 _"To what? Mend the bond? How thin can you be? The answer to all of our problems shows up at our shore and your mother decides she's going to keep it for herself! Where did she put it, Hiccup?"_

 _"I don't know! She was just supposed to hide it! She wasn't going to use it for herself—"_

 _"Hide it? And you didn't think it was important to let your fiancé know of this?" Astrid glares._

 _"I couldn't trust you," Hiccup shakes his head, "I could see it in your eyes! Something's different. Ever since it showed up, everyone has changed. It was too dangerous. That thing did something to you!"_

 _"I see perfectly," Astrid laughs, "I see so clearly, that I now see you as the same scrawny low-life I knew as a teenager. You may have a new buff exterior, but you're still the same wimp of a kid that your dad was ashamed of."_

 _"I just lost my mother! I don't want to lose you too!"_

 _"Lose me?" Astrid glares, "You never had me! I still remember the day your father cast my uncle out as a kid, only to find that it was your mother's idea! He lived in exile over that stupid dragon egg that your parents were too pig headed to keep! It suddenly appears again, and your mother sent a dragon to hide it for her own selfish gain. Not only that, but she let a bunch of filthy pirates destroy our entire fleet because they were looking for that dumb egg! Our village turned into a battle ground and in case you haven't noticed, we lost! I can't believe you trusted her! I can't believe you trusted her so-called allies! They were stealing from us this entire time! And you had no idea!"_

 _"My mother was not a traitor! She would never! We have time to fix this—"_

 _"Time's up Hiccup. My long-lost uncle finally made me realize that some people can't be trusted. I'm going to find the golden dragon and get my revenge if it's the last thing I do."_

 _"Astrid!" Hiccup drops to the floor backing up as two dragons appear before him, "Astrid, please don't do this!"_

 _"This is all your fault!" Astrid responds, "You and your arrogant mother did this, and now you are going to watch everything your family built rot and burn!"_

 _"Astrid, I love you!" Hiccup says desperately._

 _"And your love is your biggest weakness," Astrid says, "It is because of your love that you watched everything we cared about be destroyed."_

 _"That wasn't what happened—"_

 _"And now, I get to watch you rot in hell with the rest of your family," ._

" _Astrid, no!"_

 _"Goodbye, Hiccup,"_

* * *

Merida bolts upright, her heart pounding. She shakes her head trying to get the image of the guy in her dreams out of her head. The man couldn't have been much older than her—23 or 25. Merida looks to her right and draws another tally in the sand. It had been officially two weeks since the invasion of the Vikings, and she had found a hidden cave not far from the witch's cottage. She had attempted to mimick the look of the witch's cottage. Using her bare hands, Merida had dragged the witch's pot from the cottage to her new hideout. The time she spent in the mock kitchen had paid off. Her favorite pot dish to make was what she called berry stew. It was sweet and fun to drink—although it was about the only sweets she could make at the moment.

Merida pulls back the rock to the caves entrance and grabs her bow and bag of arrows. Using branches, rocks, and her sword she had crafted some more arrows, however, they were not nearly as well made as the ones back at the castle. Merida glances at her sword, contemplating if she should take it with her. So far, she hasn't encountered a single of Ardus's goonies. She had a few close calls when she was still at the forefront of the forest, but for the most part she has been able to dodge them. Merida has been planning a mass raid of the castle to try to acquire some supplies. Fresh clothes is at the top of her list. The dress she has been parading in is tattered and dirty. No matter how many times she washes it, the dress still looks like it has been through hell and back.

Merida take a deep breathe as she walks towards the stream. The birds chirp over head and flitter in all directions. Merida watches them, looking for any unusual patterns. She realizes there is still a rogue dragon somewhere in the forest, but she has yet to detect it. Merida peers at the stream filled with large fish. She sighs, not wanting to eat another fish. She has been too afraid to dig deeper into the woods. Merida never knows where Ardus's guards might be lurking.

She turns to face the woods, then back at the stream. Her stomach growls and Merida shakes her head.

"Just great," Merida mutters walking back to get her sword, "I wish there was a spell to make fish not taste like fish."

Merida takes a deep breathe and swings an arrow into firing position. She wanders deeper into the thick of the forest, listening for more than just her footsteps. She figures it shouldn't be long before she comes across a small herd. However, the forest is eerily quiet.

"Where are ya, ye little boogers?" Merida says wandering around ready to aim. Suddenly she hears a the snap of a branch and she whips around. She narrows her eyes and sharpens her senses, her stomach growling it's approval. Merida makes her way towards the snap, hearing more rustling of trees.

"What is going on?" Merida says as she inches closer. She sees three trees sway, but there is no breeze. Merida looks around, expecting to see someone pop out from the trees, only to see a set of large teeth uproot one of the trees and tossing it aside. Instinctively, Merida screams, recognizing the dragon from the day of the invasion. Merida stumbles backwards, taking off through the forest. She hears the dragon hiss three times, narrowing its eyes and baring its teeth.

"No, no , no, no, no!" Merida says realizing that the dragon more than likely has the ability to warn his friends that she is out here. She hears the rustling of trees behind her and she knows she can't run back to her hideout. If by any chance she makes it out of this alive, she would like to be able to come back to an untouched hide out.

Merida banks right, weaving in and out of the trees. Merida runs faster, wishing she had Angus to help her. She looks above, watching the dragon skirt overhead. Merida stops for a second, trying to take in her surroundings. She has never been this deep into the forest before. She doesn't recognize a single tree, a single sound. Even if she is able to escape, there is no way she is going to be able to find her way back to the castle, let alone her own hide out.

"Mum, Dad," Merida says, her heart pounding more from the panic attack she has been trying to avoid versus the fear of the dragon above her. She didn't want to lose her family, but she won't see them regardless if she dies this very moment. Merida screams again as the dragon scratches at the tree tops to get to her. Merida takes one look back at where she came from and continues to run in the opposite direction. She can hear the dragon hopping along the tree tops towards her.

Merida is losing her breathe, but just as soon as she does she trips and lands on something soft.

"What the?" Merida says, her hands covered in sand. She looks forward in shock at the expansive ocean in front of her, "There's a beach back here? I thought the straight was the only way into DunBroch! Gosh Dad! This is what happens when no one has any sense of adventure. You miss things!"

Behind her the dragon let's out a terrible screech landing behind her, causing her to scream.

"Wait wait wait! Don't eat me!" Merida shouts, scooching backwards.

It cocks it's head to the side, it's green eyes narrowing like a cat. The tail has three steal spikes that swing as it inches closer. Merida stumbles to her feet running towards the water, but the dragon sends a steel spike that pins her dress into the sand. The dragon, which is ten times bigger than Mor'du, opens it's long mouth full of teeth. An eerie heat radiates from it's mouth, a faint silver glow coming from the back of it's throat. Merida struggles to move, and she closes her eyes preparing for her death.

But just as she closes her eyes she hears a grunt and someone lands on top of her, shielding her from the dragon's blow. She hears the dragon squeal, the sound of its blade like wings fanning out. The blast hits something hard that deflects onto either side of Merida. She can feel the heat, but no death comes.

"Hey! ChiChi! Calm down, ChiChi! Down!" A male voice calls. Merida feels the weight lift from her as whoever had just protected her stood to his feet. Merida's eyes widen at the sound of the voice.

 _"Astrid, I love you!"_

Merida turns to see a guy blocking her view. From the back he looked strong, wth dark brown hair. His leather armor is singed and wet, but in his hand he has a shield. With no weapon, he stands before the massive beast. With bared teeth, the dragon dances around, seemingly ready to attack. Merida is prepared to run, but to her surprise the dragon doesn't attack, yet stares daggers at the man.

"Calm ChiChi. This isn't you. They are using the jewel to control your thoughts. Come back to me ChiChi." The guy says, dropping the shield. Merida glances down, gasping at the symbol drawn across the shield.

"Viking," Merida whispers to herself. She quickly pulls the steel quill from her dress and whips out her sword. The dragon seems confused, starting to jump around, shaking it's head and body as if it has poison ivy.

"ChiChi, it's me. It's Hiccup," Hiccup says. Merida's eyes widen remembering the name from her dream. She drops her sword, covering her mouth.

"It's him," Merida says. Hiccup's stance is weak and frail, but still he stands to protect her from the dragon. He is frantically waving his arms trying to get and maintain the dragon's attention. ChiChi calms long enough for Hiccup to Inch closer to Merida watches as Hiccup quickly puts a hand on ChiChi's snout, pulling the dragon towards the ground.

"Focus ChiChi, focus!" Hiccup says, although the restless dragon is still shaking his head, "Listen to the sound of my voice. Ready? Occupy. Ocean. Sunshine. Light. Fire—"

ChiChi cuts him off at the sound of fire. He knocks Hiccup down to the ground and screeches at him, beginning his hop again.

"Okay, no fire!" Hiccup says, gasping for the wind that was knocked out of him, "ChiChi! Occupy. Ocean. Sunshine. Light. Agree. Free…"

Merida watches as Hiccup continues to say words as if they are somehow part of a song. ChiChi's wild movements begin to slow and eventually ChiChi lies down. Her jaw drops as the spikes retreat and ChiChi's eyes turn from a narrowed stance to a much larger beady eyed look. After about five minutes ChiChi's eyes close and the dragon falls into a deep sleep.

"That's it buddy. Sleep off the affects of the jewel." Hiccup says. He stands to his feet and turns towards Merida. For a second neither one of them move. Hiccup just stares at her like she is a ghost from a distant memory. Hiccup is buff in stature, but he is pale and weak. His breathe is shallow, and his eyes are droopy from exhaustion. He gazes at her in wonder, and Merida can't help but feel down to him. The mutual connection annoys her more than she would like to admit.

"I feel like I know you," They say simultaneously. Merida's heart skips a beat and she sees Hiccup crack a sideways smile.

"You're a Viking," Merida points to his shield, "Wait a minute… you're a Viking! You just tamed that… that thing!"

Merida draws her bow back and points it towards Hiccup. Hiccup throws his hands up backing away.

"Whoa, whoa, you have this all wrong! Look ChiChi is my dragon—"

"Your dragon? Why I outta just let this bow go straight through ye now while you can't escape!"

"I'm going to guess you aren't fond of Vikings," Hiccup says nervously, tripping over the steel spike Merida had dropped.

"Do I look like a Viking to you? I've had enough of you and yer Viking friends so prepare to die."

"Wait! Hold on a second! I come alone!" Hiccup defends, "And you said I'm him. Who's me? How do you know who I am?"

"I don—I mean I thought I knew—I just don't know okay? Stop asking questions!" Merida says drawing her bow again.

"Wait, Merida!" Hiccup shouts. Merida's eyes widen as he calls her by name. Hiccup seems almost just as surprised as she is.

"How do ye know my name?" Merida narrows her eyes, dropping her bow slightly.

"I don't know. I think I've heard it somewhere. It's like it was from a dream or something…" Hiccup says, his eyebrows furrowing, "I remember your voice. I was blacking out, drifting away at sea. Your voice it kept telling me to hold on because you would find me. I thought I was losing my mind."

Merida lowers her bow, noticing that Hiccup is clearly confused. The more she studies his face, the more he resembles the guy from her dream. The guy that had just lost everything. The Viking that had just lost everything.

"This sounds even crazier out loud that it did in my head." Hiccup shakes his head, "But then again, I can't really process anything that's happened the past few weeks."

Merida doesn't say a word, but instead puts her arrow away. Hiccup looks into Merida's eyes, and for a second, she sees herself. Hiccup is scared, probably even more scared than she is now. If her dreams actually do match the story behind this mysterious guy, then he's had a rough few weeks. Merida doesn't want to risk saying anything that could throw him off. The truth is that she would love it if this guy was a good Viking. She could use a friend after the two weeks she's had. Plus, if he knows nothing about Ardus and his pals, he would be blue to help her reclaim her kingdom.

Merida looks at the noonday sun and back at Hiccup. She puts her bow and arrow away and extends a hand. Hiccup looks reluctantly at her hand but takes it. His fingers are cold and his grip is weak. Merida hoists him to his feet but he stumbles back to the ground.

"When was the last time you've eaten?" Merida asks, poking at his arm muscles, examining his cheeks and ears.

"I don't know. I've been fading in and out. I think I might have eaten some fresh fish out at sea somewhere, but at this point, I'm not sure what's real and what's a dream."

"Well, yer ChiChi over there drew me out of my hideout and I don't exactly know the way back so yer only food option is—"

"Please don't say fish," Hiccup shakes his head and holds his stomach, "I'd give anything for something other than fish."

"I guess that means you've been eating," Merida smiles slightly, "I'm not sure I can find a herd to chase down. Yer big fat bully more than likely ate them, or chased them away. I don't know these parts of the woods to go hunting alone and yer not lookin' so hot to come with me. I guess that means we're stuck with fish."

Hiccup groans but nods.

"I've never fished in an ocean before, but I'm assuming it won't be hard. You stay with that thing while I go find some food, okay?" Merida instructs.

"Hey," Hiccup calls after her, "I have to know. Was I right? Are you Merida?"

Merida studies Hiccups face once more, worried about trusting a viking. If he found out she was a princess, who knows what he might think. He would either gravel at her feet or take her as bait. She was all Dunbroch had left. Her kingdom meant everything to her. Still she hears dream Hiccup's voice loud and clear.

 _There was a better way…_

"I am," Merida nods, "My name is Merida."

Hiccup nods and gives her his best smile, however, his smile is full of disparate.

"Why did you save me?" Merida turns back to Hiccup. Hiccup lifts his head to meet her gaze.

"I don't know. I was just lying on the beach half conscious, but your scream zapped me back. I just reacted. I knew I had to save you. I couldn't let you die."

Merida runs her fingers through her tangly mess of hair and nods. She turns to walk towards the ocean when Hiccup calls after her.

"What about you? Why would you help someone as pathetic as me? Saving you is one thing, but I'm not worth it." Hiccup looks down, ashamed. Merida takes a deep breathe knowing a thing or two about feeling guilty and worthless.

"Everyone is worth something. And if you betray me, we'll... I'll probably shoot you without hesitation," Merida laughs giving him a teasing smile, "Besides, I couldn't let you die."


	4. The Truth

" _Merida! Doon't you dare loose another arrow!" A woman stomps. Her hair is pulled neatly into braids, a crown on top of her head. In front of her, Merida stands with her arms in ready position. Her dress has been torn and she stands in the midst of a crowd._

 _Hiccup watches intently, examining the scene before him with a confused expression. His skin is clouded and next to him is a buff man leaning forward in his chair with his jaw dropped. Four flags stand off to the side, each with a different symbol on it. Three boys, each with a different colored kilt, stand next to people of the like, watching in awe at the audacity of Merida._

 _Hiccup turns his attention back to her as she takes a deep breathe and releases. The arrow flows gracefully off the bow and straight into a bullseye, splitting the arrow already there in half. The crowd lets out a huge gasp and before he knows it, Merida has turned to face the woman. Suddenly the scene shifts and he is floating towards a large castle._

" _Wait, no!" Hiccup says as he flies through a wall, "What the?"_

 _Against his own will, Hiccup is brought through the castle and is transported into a room. Again Merida stands with the woman in what he perceives to be her room._

 _"You're always telling me what to do, and what not to do!" Merida shouts. Hiccup watches the exchange in bewilderment. Eventually, Merida's anger takes over and using a sword, she slices a family tapestry in half. The woman's horrified face is filled with grief and sadness and Hiccup can't help but remember his own father's face when he found out he had been making friends with the dragons. Hiccup stands back, letting the scene unfold, knowing full well by this point that he has no choice._

 _"Merida, you are a princess, and I expect you to act like one!" The woman fires back._

 _"Mum, no!" Merida shouts as Merida's mother tosses Merida's bow into the fire. Tears stream down Merida's face and she storms out of the room. Hiccup desperately wants to go after her, but instead he watches as her mother (who has finally realized what she has done) frantically tries to remove the bow from the fire. Unfortunately, it is too late and her mother sits on her heels, crying._

 _"Merida," Hiccup whispers._

* * *

"Merida," Hiccup says rasply. Merida peers curiously at the young man. He had been talking non sense all night and she was starting to think he was worse off than her. Merida had been awake since early morning. She has gotten used to the nightmares she seems to have regularly, but neither the dragon nor Hiccup had flinched when she popped up in a panicked scream.

It is the same dream. Walking on water in the moonlight, with the wisps. Voices and screams constantly running through her head. It was a disturbing dream, and Merida is now hoping that she doesn't see any wisps in the waking world. It was starting to concern her. Before the invasion, she had had the dream a few times. Afterwards, it had been pretty much every day, but each night a different voice, a different piece to a puzzle, a different memory.

Currently, Merida sits in front of a fire, having gone fishing early this morning. Her arms were sore and she was again running low on arrows. To her pleasure, the dragon has been fast asleep since Hiccup had tamed him yesterday. Shortly after they had eaten, Hiccup had fallen asleep. As he slept, she had silently studied him, running a finger over his cheeks and arms. She determined that he must have lost a lot of muscle mass. Listening to his heart beat, it had been steady, but weak. He was malnutritioned and he had scars on the sides of his face and burn marks on the backs of his hands. Seeing as he deals with dragons, she was not surprised.

Merida takes the last fish off the fire, setting it down on a large leaf she had found. Hiccup screams and finally Merida has had it. Obviously he is not as good as she is with waking up from nightmares. She rushes to his side and shakes him awake.

"Hiccup!" Merida shouts and he bolts awake. He pops up so fast that he is inches from her face. Merida can feel herself blushing, but Hiccup was in too much of a panic to notice.

"What happened?" Hiccup says, trying to catch his breathe.

"Calm down," Merida says, "Ye jus had a bad dream is all. You've been mumbling all mornin'." Merida says hiding her face before he notices the red in her cheeks.

"I was? I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Hiccup said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Lucky for you, no. I've been awake fer hours." Merida shrugs, not feeling like explaining her dreams, "How are you feeling?"

"A little drained," Hiccup shrugs trying to stand to his feet. Merida looks down at the artificial leg on his foot.

"Sit down," Merida instructs. Hiccup raises his eyebrow skeptically, "I notice you're missing a foot. You're also malnutritioned and weak."

"Weak? I'll have you know I'm chief of—" Hiccup trails off, "Or was chief. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'll be fine. I've been through worse."

"You've been through worse than having your village overthrown?" Merida says without thinking. The second she says it she covers her mouth.

"How do you know that?" Hiccup cocks his head to the side. Suddenly he gets a fire in his eyes that almost pierces her soul, "Are you working with Astrid?"

"No! I doon't even know who that is! Look, I think we need to talk." Merida says.

"I agree," Hiccup nods but neither one of them makes a move to speak. Behind them, ChiChi sleeps peacefully still. Merida sighs and hands Hiccup another fish. Hiccup flinches, wishing he could have seen anything else but another fish. Merida, on the other hand, is quite enjoying herself. It was nice to taste a saltwater fish versus a freshwater fish. The taste difference was subtle, but it was bareable.

"Okay who starts?" Hiccup says taking a bite of his fish.

"You washed up on my land and yer dragon pretty much destroyed half my kin—I mean village. So I serppose you have ta start." Merida says matter-of-factly.

"Valid point," Hiccup says, "Well I guess it all started a few years ago when I found my mother after years without her. My dad had died and when I brought her back, everything was going well. I had revolutionized dragon riding and making dragons our friends instead of our enemies."

Merida studies him intently, wondering how a guy like him made friends with a dragon.

"But one day I was out charting different Islands when I stumbled upon a particular one that looked unreal. I had already suspected that with all the different dragons out there, there must be some that were close to legendary. But what I found on this Island blew all of my expectations. I ran into a dragon that could turn itself invisible, one that could teleport, and the most special one of all, the golden dragon. It was a dragon made of pure gold."

"Pure gold?" Merida marveled, "That dragon would be worth a fortune."

"Yeah," Hiccup says sullenly. "Well this dragon was more than gold. It could control the minds of all dragons in it's radius, but this particular dragon prefered to bunk with the special ones. It was such a pure hearted dragon, and it can't be controlled. It would let me get near it, but I could never ride it. None of my tricks worked. This dragon was resilient to it all. My fiancé wanted to show people, and without thinking, I brought half my village to come see these legendary dragons. But my mother and my fiancé, Astrid, they stopped getting along after a while. It was weird to see them turn against each other so suddenly. They had started making more frequent trips to the island and one day, Astrid stumbled upon the golden dragon's eggs."

"It was a female?" Merida raises her eyebrow.

"Turns out. Eventually I discovered that the eggs were releasing a powerful energy that shows our true hearts and can control the minds of dragons. It kept happening to my dragon, Toothless, and I finally found a way to bring dragon's back from the mind control. After further study, I discovered that whomever touches the golden egg directs the mind control waves. I guess the baby dragons are very trusting. Usually the mother is on top of them so only positive energy escapes, but in the wrong hands—"

"It can be a lethal weapon," Merida gasps.

"Exactly. My mom was head of all trading since she had met more people than anyone I had ever known, but somehow she got involved with people she called pirates. She ended up selling four of those eggs to them, angering the golden dragon. My fiancé Astrid was livid. Turns out, she was planning on stealing them herself for her uncle to whom she had been conspiring against me with for months."

"Yer trying to tell me that both yer mum and yer fiancé were working behind yer back, you were the chief, and ye still let them get away with it?" Merida scoffs, "Doesn't sound like yer too bright."

"Would you really accuse your closest family of evil doing?" Hiccup glares, "What happened to believing the best in everybody."

"Sure, ye can believe the best in everybody until given a reason not to. I live with three trouble making boys, a Dad that's gone to war more times than I can count, and a mum who used to be a shady control freak. I've also encountered crazy old witches and seen the deception amongst peers." Merida shrugs, "So I guess, yes. Yes I would accuse my family of evil doing if given an opportunity."

Hiccup shakes his head, wiping his hands on the sand as he tosses the fish bones into the fire.

"So how'd you end up here?" Merida asks.

"Well, when my mother took the eggs, the pirates didn't believe they had them all so they stormed Berk looking for them. After a few hours we finally chased the pirates away with our dragons, but then Astrid turned against me and finished what the pirates had started. She destroyed everything and killed nearly everyone. She tried to kill me, took all my dragons and left. I escaped on my dragon Toothless to the island to hideout, but when I got there, Astrid and her uncle had killed the golden dragon and were escaping with the last golden egg. With the egg, they had toothless shoot me through the air and I really can't remember what happened after that." Hiccup says relaying the painful memory.

"You must've had some angel looking after you," Merida says rising to sit next to him, "So all those words you were calling out to ChiChi—"

"Yeah it's what I use to bring them back from the mind control. Ardus really made a mess of things."

"Ardus? That's the name of the man that took over DunBroch!" Merida exclaims.

"DunBroch? Where the heck am I?" Hiccup asks.

"DunBroch is a clan in Scotland. There are three other neighboring clans but you have to travel by the straight to get to em."

"I guess that means it's your turn to speak," Hiccup smiles, glad to have finally talked to someone about all his perils.

"Good grief," Merida says, knowing full well that she doesn't want to tell him that she is a Princess, "Well my story is much shorter than yours. Most of my problems seem to be on the account of you and your ol' pals."

"How so?" Hiccup inquires.

"Well a few weeks ago yer ol' friend Ardus stormed through DunBroch. Before him, ChiChi had come out of nowhere and destroyed all our shipments from the other clans and all of the towns resources. We had plenty of extras in the DunBroch castle, but not nearly enough to feed all the villages and restore all the houses that had burned. I lost everything. My home, my family."

"Ardus killed your family?" Hiccup frowns.

"I can't imagine what he's done to em. My family is strong, they always have been. I pray they're alive. I was the only one to escape before they overthrew the village. Some blonde chick sent out a bunch of men to find me and they ended up chasing me back here where I've been hiding out for weeks." Merida says putting her hands over her knees.

"Why do they want to find you so bad?" Hiccup ponders out loud.

Merida contemplates her answer very carefully, "Let's just say I know my way around the four clans and I'm a bit on the headstrong side."

"You seem like it," Hiccup smiles, "I had a dream about you last night."

Merida looks at him in surprise. She has been trying to figure this guy out since she had met him, considering she had been having dreams and visions of him. Now that he is in front of her, all of those dreams and visions feel like memories. Even if they are not her own. But to hear him say he has been having dreams about her… now that's a different story.

"Since we're being totally honest, I have been having dreams about you," Merida nods.

"You have?" Hiccup meets her eyes.

"Yea. When you were tellin' yer story, I could see it all happening. It's been a reoccurring dream lately. Her standing before you scowling, telling you how your love was your biggest weakness. It was almost as if I was you. I could feel yer pain, yer heartache. You almost wished she could kill you and get it over with." Merida sympathizes with him.

"I don't even know how that's possible," Hiccup shakes his head, "That's exactly what happened. Then that means that my dreams are true to. You're a princess aren't you?"

Merida winces, this guy having uncovered the one thing she was hoping to hide. She still didn't fully trust him yet, but right now it would seem they were connected somehow.

"Yes. DunBroch is my kingdom and Ardus has my parents and my three younger brothers." Merida nods, "I couldn't help them. I had to flee."

Hiccup watches as tears well up in Merida's eyes. He puts his hand around her back to comfort her, but it only makes her cry harder. She leans towards him a bit and eventually, he ends up pulling her to him until she rests her head on his chest. Hiccup feels the pain she does. They were both leaders who had lost everything.

"This is all my fault," Hiccup shakes his head. Merida looks up in between her tears and gazes at him, "You're right. I should've known something was up. I should've seen the greed in their eyes. If it weren't for me, you'd still have your kingdom and your family. I'm just as useless as I was growing up."

"Shut up," Merida says, taking him by surprise and wiping her tears, "If you've had any glance into my life, then you'd know that I know a thing or two about being a screw up. I turned my mother into a bear to get out of an arranged marriage!"

"What?" Hiccup exclaims, "I don't think I've gotten that far yet."

"Oh, then just ignore what I said for a moment," Merida laughs nervously, "Look, the point is that we all make mistakes, and sometimes things happen that aren't our fault. You can't control your fiancé and yer mother's actions, and I can't control that yer buddy decided to seek revenge on my Dad. So all we need to do is figure out how to fix it."

"Can we even fix it?" Hiccup shakes his head, "I've gone up against dragons thirteen thousand times my size. Twice. The first one I lost my leg, the second one cost me my dad's life. What's it going to cost me this time?"

"You'll never know until you find out," Merida smiles, "We don't have a lot of time to figure this out, but I've gotta make sure your strength is back. We're going to have to chill out here for a couple days. I'll get working on trying to build a hut so we aren't so exposed. What are you going to do with that dragon?"

"I guess I need to wake her up and get back to training. She's going to need to be ready to go if you're ever going to ride her." Hiccup says stumbling to rise to his feet.

"Wait WHAT?" Merida exclaims, "Yer not getting me on tha' thing! It's huge and tried to kill me!"

"The only way we have any chance of taking back your kingdom is if we can find that golden egg. My guess is that they aren't going to have it lying around. Plus you said there were three other clans right?"

"You think Ardus went after the other clans," Merida nods, "I guess that would make sense. Take out the allies. It would be easier to help them out before saving DunBroch."

"Exactly," Hiccup smiles, "So are we in this together?"

Merida looks into Hiccup's eyes and smiles, "In this together."

* * *

A bellowing of laughter fills the throne room. King Fergus is tied to a post in chains, blood plastered on his face, his eye swollen, and cuts on his arms. On the opposite end of the room, his wife watches helplessly with her hands tied behind her back, and two of Ardus's men holding either arm. Ardus takes another swing and hits Fergus in the stomach. His followers fill the large room watching the event. Astrid leans against a wall, sharpening her axe.

"Tell me where she is!" Ardus demands. Astrid rolls her eyes as once again, King Fergus keeps his head low.

"Stop it! None of us know where she is!" Queen Elinor shouts. One of the guards slaps her and she falls to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

"Elinor!" King Fergus calls to her. Elinor looks up at him with a sad face, but neither of them can answer. Even if they wanted the pain to stop, they couldn't. Merida has always been a free spirit, traveling where she pleases. They did not have a safe haven like most families because Merida has always been itching to discover something new. She rarely visited the same place twice, and they had already torn through the old witch's cottage without any luck.

"Well if you don't know where she is, maybe you can point us to where she could have gone," Ardus coaxes.

"I bloody can't tell ye anything you big bloat! My daughter is smarter than anyone in this room and Lord knows where she could be!" King Fergus huffs.

"Why you—" Ardus swings back his arm, ready to punch.

"Ardus!" Astrid finally calls, "He didn't talk the times you've punched him, he didn't talk when you took one of the triplets, he didn't talk when you threatened Elinor, and he won't talk now. I actually think he's telling the truth and doesn't know where she could be."

"Then what do _you_ suppose we do?" Ardus lowers his arm and glares at her.

"Wait." Astrid says simply, "Do you really think Merida would leave her family and her entire Kingdom to go start a new life somewhere? If she's anything like we've heard, she'll be back. And we need to make preparations for when she does."

Ardus looks between Fergus and Astrid and then nods.

"Take them back to the dungeons," Ardus orders, walking back to the throne.

"Leave us!" Astrid demands, the crowd of men exiting along with the guards. When the room is empty and they can hear no chatter, Astrid turns back to Ardus to speak, "Uncle, the egg. Where is it?"

"You have no business knowing," Ardus says sitting in the throne and closing his eyes.

"None of _my_ business? You wouldn't even have that dumb egg if it wasn't for me! I have the right to know where it is." Astrid crosses her arms.

"Why?" Ardus looks down at Astrid.

"Why what?" Astrid asks, clearly annoyed.

"Why do you have to know where the egg is. What _peace_ would it give you?" Ardus questions.

Astrid doesn't say anything but stutter to herself. Ardus laughs a bit, leaning back in his chair.

"You ask for things and have no answer as to why. I'll tell you why I won't tell you where it is. You may have seen the errors of your past, but all those years you've grown up with Hiccup under his father's rule, that teaching is still in you. You want to know why I won't tell you where the egg is? I'll tell you. Rebound." Ardus snarles, "As long as those memories nag at you in the back of your mind, all the good you've done so far since joining me will diminish. Those past memories will make you feel guilty, weak, conflicted. You'll doubt everything we've done to restore things to the way they should be."

Astrid still says nothing but turns her gaze from him with a saddened expression on her face. Ardus sighs and smiles gently at her.

"Come here, pet," Ardus says, calling her by the nickname he used to call her as a small child. Astrid comes up the steps slowly stopping in front of him. He grabs her hand and looks into her eyes.

"I'm only doing what's best for you. This is what your parents would have wanted." Ardus says. Astrid nods at him and gives him a faint smile. "Go on and help with preparations."

"Yes Uncle," Astrid turns walking away. The second she turns a scowl appears on her face. She storms through the corridors towards the room she had chosen as her own. The second she reaches her room, the chambermaid glances up at her.

"Get out!" Astrid yells, and they lady scampers away in fear. Astrid slams the door behind her, her blood boiling. Ardus had promised that the two of them would lead together but now she feels as if she is being used. She had gotten rid of one problem—Hiccup. And now it looks like she was going to have to try to get rid of another. She never once said she would help Ardus rise to power, but help him get revenge. Secretly, she was expecting to be the leader.

Astrid looks out the window at the dragon patrol and a small smile plays on her face. She laughs out loud, knowing full well that she more than likely sounded like a mad scientist. Astrid suddenly realized that Ardus has no power. He has relied on her to set up their entire system. She knows everyone in the ranks, their strength, their weaknesses. She knows how to control and ride the dragons, having learned all the good tricks from Hiccup. Without her, Ardus knew nothing. He was expendable. It would be a cinch to overthrow Ardus.

Astrid snickers as she watches the sunset on another day, "All good things, to those who wait."


End file.
